Stair-carpet fastener.



W. W. HESSON.

- STAIR CARPET FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED MATS, 1909.

942,641 Patented Deo; 7, 1909.

rica.

WILLIAM WALLACE HESSON, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

STAIR-CARPET FASTENER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM WALLACE HnssoN, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, and resident of the city of Toronto, county of York,Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Stair- Carpet Fasteners, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in stair carpet fasteners, asdescribed in the following specification and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The invention consists essentially in the novel construction andarrangement of parts whereby a lever pivota-lly supported from a licorplate is held in a closed position with its forward end gripping thecarpet by a flat spring supported at both ends above the floor andengaging the downwardly extending tail end of said lever.

The objects of the invention are to mimiinize the labor and eliminatetheinconvenience incident to the laying of stair carpets, and to devise afastener of simple and neat construction and cheap to manufacture whichwill hold the carpet securely, close in to the riser portion of thestair, and from which the carpet may be easily and quickly detached.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of my device shown inposition on a stair-way and holding the carpet, said carpet being brokenaway to disclose a portion of the holder. Fig. Q is a verticallongitudinal section of the device shown in its 'closed position andgripping the edge of the carpet. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the deviceshowing the gripping lever thrown back t-o the open position. Fig. 4 isa plan view of a slightly modified form of the device.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each ligure.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the back or floor plate preferablyformed of sheet metal and having a raised central portion 2, the endoffset portions 3 and 4 being' adapted to rest on the tread portion ofthe step and having nail holes 5 therethrough.

G is a longitudinal slot cut vin the central raised portion 2 centrallyof its width and extending forwardly from the vertical .wall 7 to apoint intermediate of its length.

S is an orifice formed in the upright wall Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed May 3, 1909.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

Serial No. 493,698.

of the offset portion 3 in longitudinal alinement with the slot 6.

9 is a spring member formed of suitable spring material and having ahole through one end thereof adapted to register with the nail hole 5 inthe offset end 3 of the plate 1. The spring 9 is held securely to theplate 1 by a pair of lugs 10 extending from the offsetend 3 and lappedover the end of said spring and the said spring extends through theorifice 8 and under the raised central portion 2, the inner endextending through the slot 6 and resting on the upper edge of the wall7.

11 are hook shaped members forming part with the offset portion 3 of theplate 1, said members being bent upwardly at the outer edges of saidplate and at right angles thereto, and sharpened at the points andhaving curved rearward edges 12. 13 are lugs also forming part of theplate 1 and bent upwardly from the sides thereof and having the orices14 therein.

15 is a lever having a broad flat tongue shaped end 16 adapted to restupon the surface of the carpet between the hook shaped members 11 andthe lateral projections 17 extending into the orifices 14 in the lugs 13and forming pivots for the said lever.

18 is the tail end of said lever 15 bent downwardly and engaging thespring 7 and depressing said spring in its closed position, said tailend being so arranged in relation to the tongue portion that when thetongue is in its closed position the said tail end willv have movedslightly past the perpendicular in relation to the spring. The tensionof the spring is therefore slightly relieved but in order to release thecarpet the clip has to be lifted against the fu'll tension of saidspring.

In Fig. 4 the form of the tongue portion is of slightly differentdesign, it being broader and more fanciful and has the openings 19 atthe forward end through which the points of the hook shaped members 11project when the tongue is closed down.

In the use of this device, the plate 1 is nailed down securely to thestep, the inner side being arranged close to the riser. The carpet isthen drawn tightly over the nose of the tread immediately above, andpressed down over the forward portion of the plate, the hook shapedmembers 11 engaging the said carpet. The lever 15 is then swung inwardlyon its pivot and pressed downwardly, the tongue portion of said leverpressing the carpet over the upturned hook shaped members and holdingthe carpet securely.

The arrangement of the spring is very important, it is nailed securelyat one end with the plate and its opposite end rests upon the top of thewall or shoulder portion 7 and is free to slide so that on pressurebeing applied to the top the said spring will I bow between its ends andallow the lever l5 to be sprung down to its closed position. As thelever is swung on its pivots the tail end portion forces the springdownwardly, sliding on its surface and as the said tail portion isarranged to move past the perpendicular in relation to the spring, thesaid lever is held securely. l

The device when in its closed position holds the carpet very securelyand when it is desired to remove the carpet it is merely necessary topry up the first pair of clips on the stair-way and then pull on thecarpet. The pulling upwardly on the carpet will swing the leversupwardly on their pivots and allow the carpet to come away. Thus thecarpet may be taken up very quickly without the use of any instrumentwhatever, except perhaps on account of stiffness of the spring it may benecessary to pry up the first clips with a screw driver or other suchinstru-ment.

I am aware that fasteners of a somewhat similar nature have been devisedbut the present invention has been devised to provide a very strong clipwhich will hold the carpet securely and which may be produced at a verylow cost and also to allow of the carpet being held close in to the footof the riser portion of the stair.

That I claim as my invention is l. In a stair carpet fastener, a platelongitudinally slotted having' base portions adapted to be secured tothe floor and supporting the slotted and central raised portion, aspring held in suspension by said plate beneath said central raisedportion, and a lever pivotally supported above and by said plate andhaving a tongue portion adapted to engage the carpet and a tail piecebent downwardly and engaging said spring.

2. In a stair carpet fastener, a plate longitudinally slotted havingoffset ends forming base portions adapted to be secured to the floor andsupporting a slotted and central raised portion, one of said offsetportions having an orifice therethrough, a spring secured to one of saidoffset portions and extending through said orifice and beneath saidcentral raised portion and having its inner end projecting through saidlongitudinal slot, and-a leverfpivotally supported above and by saidplate and having a tongue portion adaptedto engage the carpet and a tailpiece bent downwardly and engaging said spring.

3. In a stair carpet fastener, a plate longitudinally slotted havingoffset portions forming bases adapted to be secured to the floor, one ofsaid offset portions being arranged at one end of said slot and theother of said offset portions having an orifice through the uprightportion in longitudinal alinement with said slot and lugs formed at theouter end thereof, a spring extending through said orifice and heldsecurely to the upper side of the adjacent offset portion or base by thelugs forming part with said base folding thereover, said spring at itsother end extending through said longitudinal slot and slidablysupport-ed by the upright wall portion of the other of said offsets, anda lever pivotally supported above and by said plate having a tongueportion adapted to engage the carpet and a tail piece bent downwardlyand extending through said longitudinal slot and engaging said spring.

4. In a stair carpet fastener, a plate longitudinally slotted havingbase portions adapted to be secured to the floor and supporting aslotted and central raised portion, one of said bases having a pair ofhook shaped members extending upwardly therefrom and adapted to grip thecarpet, a spring held in suspension by said plate beneath said centralraised portion, and a lever pivotally supported above and by said plateand having a tongue portion adapted to engage the carpet and a t-ailpiece bent downwardly and engaging said spring.

5. In a stair carpet fastener, a plate having a slot in the top thereof,and lugs projecting upwardly from the sides and offset portions formingvbases and hook shaped members projecting upwardly therefrom, a springsuspended from said plate beneath said slot, a lever pivotally supportedin said upwardly extending lugs and having a broad flat tongue shapedportion extending forwardly and adapted to engage the carpet,

and a tail piece bent downwardly and extending through said slot andengaging said spring.

Signed at the city of Toronto, county of York, Province of Ontario, inthe Dominion of Canada.

WILLIAM TALLACE HESSON.

Witnesses H. DENNIsoN, E. HERoN.

